U.S. Department of Commerce

Bureau of Industry and Security

Update 2014 Conference

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Karen H. Nies-Vogel

WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS

Speaker Identification:
KN: Karen H. Nies-Vogel

KN: Ladies and gentlemen good morning, please rise for the presentation of the colors and the singing of the National Anthem.

National Anthem:

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

KN: Good morning, I am Karen Nies-Vogel and I am the acting director of BIS Office of Exporter Services and on behalf of the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security welcome to the 27th Annual Update Conference on Export Controls and Policy.

Highlights of Update this year will include a today's luncheon, White House Chief of Staff, Dennis McDonough is the Keynote Speaker. A tomorrow's luncheon we will have a video message from the Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, followed by remarks from the Acting Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Bruce Andrews.

For those of you who may be relatively new to the Export Administration Regulations and to Commerce's Electronic Licensing System, a team of BIS's IT Specialists is available to demonstrate and to answer questions about the system, including the "Simplified Network Application Process (SNAP-R), Online Registration and Management System," and our Export Control Reform interactive tools, including the Commerce Control List Order of Review and Specially Designed decision tool, and the Strategic Trade Authorization interactive compliance tool. As well, the team is available to answer questions about the redesign of BIS's website.

The IT Specialists can also assist you if desired to register your company to use SNAP-R. These folks are located in the Cardozo Room on the Terrace Level of the hotel and will be available until 5:00 today, until 6:30 tomorrow, and until 3:30 on Thursday.

On Thursday, Assistant Secretary Kevin Wolf will hold two sessions to take comments and to answer questions on the implementation of Export Control Reform, including the recently published Military Electronics Rule.

And now a few housekeeping issues, please:

Emergency information – please review the emergency information on Page-12 of your Program Book. Note that the Hilton's emergency number is 60, which can be dialed from any house phone. If you are staying in the hotel, please review the emergency assistant procedures in your room.

Name Badges – please remember that name badges must be worn at all conference events and they must be visible to conference staff. Your name badge serves as your entrance to all events. If your name badge is not visible you may be stopped by conference staff who will ask to see it before allowing you into a conference event.

Conference Materials – the materials for the panel sessions are loaded on the computers in the Internet Café, which is located in the DuPont Room on the Terrace Level. The materials can be downloaded onto the USB that all of you have been provided with, or printed. Paper is available for printing.

Space in Sessions – we have a variety of sessions available for you to attend and many are being offered more than once. If seating capacity is reached for a session, the session will be closed. Standing in the back of the room is not permitted due to fire regulations and safety concerns. Seating for sessions is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Video Taping – the Opening Plenary this morning and the Inter- Agency Plenary tomorrow, as well as our Luncheon Keynote Speakers, will be video-taped for archiving on BIS's website with a transcript after the conference. There will also be an open teleconference line for Assistant Secretary Wolf's Thursday's Open Forum Session. The teleconference line will be in a listen-only mode as it is for his regular weekly teleconferences.

Exhibitors – please be sure to stop by the exhibitors booths on the Terrace Level outside Columbia Hall. The exhibitors also invite everyone to a reception tomorrow evening from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in Columbia Hall. This reception is a great opportunity to visit with the 34 government and private sector exhibitors that join us this year at Update.

Electronic Devices – we understand that many of you will have to take care of business while attending Update. However, out of consideration for others, please turn your electronic devices either off or set them to vibrate. If you need Wi-Fi access it's provided in the hotel lobby area, hotel staff can assist you with access.

Finally last but not least, Evaluations – your evaluations are very important to us, please take the time to complete the individual session evaluation forms as well as the evaluation sheet for the overall conference.